New Zealand captain Tom Latham echoed his counterpart Ben Stokes and suggested that the rules and penalties concerning over-rate in Tests need to be reevaluated.
“It’s certainly a challenge to get through those 15 overs an hour if the ball’s flying to the boundary a little bit more than usual,” Latham said on Thursday on the eve of the second Test in Wellington.
Both teams were fined and had World Test Championship (WTC) points docked for slow over rate during the first Test.
“We’ve seen in the subcontinent where a lot of spin’s used, where that isn’t necessarily an issue. But maybe that’s something that does need to be reviewed because we’re certainly try our best, and no team wants to be behind in the over-rate. But it certainly is a challenge.”
Stokes was the first to react to the sanction with post on social media pointing out that the test was concluded within its stipulated time.
“The frustration stems back to the Ashes,” he said in Wellington ahead of Friday’s start to the second test.
“It’s been over a year now since I made some comments about the over-rates to the match referee and umpires, and to this day we’re yet to hear any response back from the ICC.
“There’s never an over-rate issue in Asia because of how much spin is bowled. There needs to be some consideration around how over-rates are going to differ, in particular when it’s going to be a seam-dominant test match.”
Penalties for slow over-rates have contributed to England being already out of the running for next year’s WTC final, while the three points it lost for Christchurch have damaged New Zealand’s slim hopes.
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